Turns out, Earth food was delicious. Sun Tie couldn’t stop eating what Cole called "hamburgers." The combination of bread, meat, vegetables, and cheese was just perfect. Caramelized onions quickly became one of Sun Tie's favorite foods ever.

And the soda? It uniquely affected the young master. The sugar content was tremendous yet irresistibly addictive. Most cultivators would probably frown upon the sheer amount of food the young man was consuming, but to hell with them, thought Sun Tie, as he took another bite of "french fries."

“Who's this 'French' guy?” Sun Tie asked, his mouth full.

“What?” Cole responded, popping open another can of beer.

“French fries? Aren’t they just fried potatoes?” Sun Tie's genuine curiosity shone through.

Cole burst into laughter. “Nah, it’s just a name. Yes, they are fried potatoes. We just call them that. To be honest, I have no idea why.”

“You are definitely a strange bunch,” Sun Tie remarked, swallowing a mouthful.

“That’s actually an interesting story,” Leigh chimed in from two seats away, lifting a wine glass. “Would you like to hear it?”

“Yes, please,” replied Sun Tie, reaching out to grab a beer can from a nearby ice bucket. But before Leigh could start, Cole interjected.

“Are you enjoying the beer?” Cole inquired.

“Thoroughly. Is this the pale ale you mentioned when we first met?” Sun Tie queried, cracking open the can and taking a deep drink. The beer's moderate bitterness was instantly refreshing. A sweetness balanced it, and Sun Tie detected hints of citrus and perhaps a floral note as he savored it. “It's delightful.”

Cole laughed and waved one hand to Leigh. “I’m sorry, go ahead.”

“Okay, Sun Tie. I’m aware you’re familiar with war.”

“I've seen my fair share of it,” the young master said, taking another sip and leaning back in his chair.

“We had a significant war on our planet, World War II. Some of the troops from my country went to fight on another continent—”

“Do you guys have more than one?” Sun Tie interjected, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“We have five,” Leigh responded, holding his hand to indicate the number. “Or we did. I'm not sure anymore. May I continue?”

“Of course, my apologies.”

“The troops from my country went to Belgium, a distant country. There, they enjoyed these fried potatoes. Now, in some parts of Belgium, they speak French, the language of another nearby country, France.”

Sun Tie's mind raced, wondering how many countries this strange place had, but it made sense given the proportion of Earthlings compared to the people from Umbraheim and Eternal Wind at the tables.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“The troops started calling them 'french fries,' and the name stuck. To this day, Belgium is somewhat miffed with us for branding the dish with that name.”

“Very interesting, indeed,” Sun Tie mused, scanning the table for more food. He picked up a breaded rice ball and took a bite. Even though he was full, he didn't know when he'd have another chance to eat. “It’s good to have a professor among us. Hein, Cole?”

“You could say that. Though I'd prefer one who doesn’t tie people up in tents,” Cole quipped, taking another sip and giving Leigh a sidelong glance.

“Ah, let's move past that! We’re all friends here, right?” Sun Tie said, beating Cole’s shoulder and making the man almost drop his beer.

“Of course,” Leigh replied, his signature smile lighting up his face. Raising his cup, he turned to Sun Tie. “I propose a toast to celebrate the return of our friends Cole, Sun Tie, James, and Sofia. And to acknowledge their immense help to our friends from Umbraheim.”

Many around them raised their cups. Most were from the camp, but others, not part of their group, also did so.

“They showed a lot of courage joining this dangerous journey, and we missed them greatly back at camp. So, let’s toast to their lives and the remarkable feats they’ll accomplish in the days ahead.”

People cheered in agreement and clinked their cups together. Following the motion, Sun Tie and Cole drank from their beers.

“Seems we’ve become quite the heroes,” Sun Tie mused, nudging James, who sat next to him. The man had been oddly quiet throughout the feast, eating little.

“You both, certainly heroes. Me? Just the guy blurred out in the corner of the picture,” James replied, taking a generous gulp of his wine.

“Enough with the self-pity. I won’t play that game to boost your ego; I've done that plenty lately. What role did you play against the abomination?” Sun Tie probed.

“I helped Cole with another one.”

“Cole could handle it by himself?”

“I don't think so.”

“Well, there’s your answer, idiot. Drink, eat, and don’t start with me if you're going to mope,” Sun Tie retorted, shifting his attention back to Cole.

“Is that why you’re called Master back home?”

“Part of it. The rest? My immense power.”

Cole chuckled at Sun Tie’s remark and pulled something from his pocket, glancing down at the table. Sun Tie caught sight of the piece of paper in Cole's hand.

“You once asked about photos, remember? This is a photo.”

Sun Tie eyed it, noting a woman and two children.

“Is that you with your family?” he inquired.

“No, no. Just a photo I picked up.”

“Mind if I see?”

Cole handed the photo over to Sun Tie, who squinted at it: two brothers and a woman laughing as they had just shared a joke. A strange sense of recognition nagged at Sun Tie.

"I feel like I know these kids," he said, giving the photo back to Cole. Across him, Sofia was quietly eating, but he noticed her keenly following their chat. Cole passed her the picture, and her face instantly shifted to a grim.

"It's her, right?" Sofia muttered, almost tossing the photo as if it burnt her fingers.

Catching a glimpse, Leigh couldn’t help but enter the conversation, "That boy looks like a survivor who came to camp today. He looked real bad, but a healer fixed him." He waited for a response, but it didn't come immediately.

Cole's eyes, though, were locked on Sofia. "Yes, it's her," he admitted, slipping the photo into his pocket with a deep sigh. "But doesn't the taller kid look a lot like the guy at the end of the table? Probably the same one Leigh's talking about."

Sun Tie followed Cole’s hint, and his eyes found a skinny man at the table's far end. The man, staring intently at him, had an expression so cold it could freeze hell. He wasn’t eating or talking, just... seething.

As Sun Tie realized he was looking into Bruce's eyes, the man stood and began walking their way. And somehow, he was walking just fine on both legs.

Unfortunately, Sun Tie had a promise to keep.